Car-brake



(No Model.)

J. G. ZIMMERMANN. Jr.,

J. J. ZIMMEBMANN &

R. A. STILES.

GAB. BRAKE.

Patented Sept. 16,

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UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. ZIMMERMANN, J R, JOHN J. ZIMMERMANN, AND RIVINGTON A.

STILES, OF WEST TROY, NEW YORK.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,517, datedSeptember 16, 1890.

Application filed July 2, 1890. Serial No. 357,541. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN G. ZIMMERMANN, J r., JOHN J. ZIMMERMANN, andRIVINGTON A. STILEs, all of West Troy, in the county of Albany and Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car- Brakes,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-brakes; and the object ofour invention is to provide a simple, effective, and reliable mechanismfor checking the movement of railway-cars. This object we attain by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are hereinreferred to and form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1is a longitudinal section of the lower part of a street-car, on the lineX X of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is aninverted plan view of a modified form of our invention as adapted forapplying the brakes at diametrically opposite sides of the same pair ofwheels; and Fig. 4. is an inverted plan view of another modified form ofour invention.

As represented in the drawings, A designates the bottom of arailway-car; B, the Wheels and axles for same; 0, the brake-beamssuspended from the bottom of the car by means of links D, and Ebrake-shoes attached to said brake-beams and fitted to be moved intocontact with the periphery of the car-wheels. All of said parts beingold and of a wellknown construction, constitute no part of ourinvention.

F is a rocker-shaft journaled in hangers G, secured to the bottom of thecar andprovided with arms H, which are located near the opposite ends ofsaid shaft, one of said arms projecting from the upper side of saidshaft in a radial line, and the other projecting in like manner from thelower side of the shaft F. Between the arms II there is a pair ofeccentrics I, secured to the shaft F, and so arranged that the throw ofone eccentric will be in a reversed direction in respect to the other.Said eccentrics are provided with the usual eccentric hooks, and each ofthe latter is provided with an eccentric-rod J, which is preferablyprovided with a right-and-left nut K, for the purpose of adjusting thelength of each of said rods with exactness. Said eccentric-rods lead inopposite directionsone leading toward the forward end of the car and theother toward the rearward endand each is connected by a j oint-piece Lto the particular brake-beam O to which it is appropriated. At each endof the car there is a vertical shaft M, provided with a lever,hand-wheel, or other suitable appliance for imparting a rotatory tion tosaid shaft, and to the lower end of said'shaft an arm N is secured. Eachof the latter has a rod 0 jointed thereto, and the opposite end of saidrod is jointed to the rockshaft arm H, to which it is especiallyappropriated.

Our invention operates in the following manner: hen the'brake-shoes Eare drawn back from the periphery of the wheels, as

shown in Fig. 1, the brake can be applied by partially rotating theshaft M at either end of the car. Thereby the rock-shaft F will receivea partial rotation, which will move the eccentrics I, so as to draw thebrake-beams 0 toward the wheels B, thereby bringing the brake-shoes Einto frictional contact with the periphery of the wheels, and therebypreventing the latter from rotating. This prevention will continueduring the time that the brakeshoes remain in contact with the peripheryof the wheels, and it can only be terminated by turning one of theshafts Min a reverse direction. In this respect our brake operatesdifferently from those commonly used, which are provided with ratchetwheels and pawls for holding the operating-shafts while the brake-shoesare in frictional contact with the wheels, and in which a releasement ofthe pawl from the teeth of the ratchet-wheel effects the removal of thebrake shoes from the wheels.

In the modification of our invention shown in Fig. 3, in which theeccentric-rods J are not connected directly to the brake-beams, andwhich is especially designed for use on electric or other cars where itis preferred to apply the brake-shoes to opposite sides of the peripheryof each wheel, a horizontal lever P is suspended from the bottom of thecar over each of the axles, said lever being arranged transversely tothe center line of the car. The eccentric-rod J appropriated tooperating said foo lever is connected, as at I, to one extremity of saidlever, and two links Q are jointed to said lever, so as to extendlaterally from opposite sides thereof. The point of connection of one ofsaid links to said lever is at the extremity that is opposite to the oneto which the eccentric-rod J is connected, and the other link isconnected to said lever at a point that is intermediate between theconnection of said eccentric-rod and the first-named link. The latterand the eccentric-rod lead from the same side of said lever, but theother link leads from the opposite side, as shown in the drawings. Twobrake-beams O are employedone diametrically opposite to the other inrespect to the wheels on which the brake mechanism is to operate-andeach is provided with brake-shoes E. The rocker-shaft F and theappurtenances thereto belonging are substantially the same as the likeparts shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and they operate in a like manner. Onapplyinga strain to the lever P by means of the eccentric connectedthereto, said lever will be moved to draw the two brakebeams 0 towardthe wheels, the pivots of the links Q in said lever operating asfulcrums for said lever, and thereby the wheels will be-irnmovablyclamped between the brake.- shoes E.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, which is designed for use onpassengercars and freight-cars which are provided with independenttrucks at each end, the brake-shoes E are fitted to bear against theperiphery of the truck-wheels, a pair of said shoes bearing at one sideof the periphery of one pair of the wheels of a truck, and the otherpair of the shoes bearing at the opposite side of the periphery of theother wheels. In this modification the lever P is preferably fulcru medto a hanger S,-secured to the bottom of the under side of the car, andthereby a fixed fulcrum is obtained, so that in case the brakeshoes forone pair of the wheels'become inoperative those for the other pair ofwheels will be serviceable for the purpose of arresting the motion ofthe car; but, when preferred in this modification, the lever P may besuspended from the bottom of the car, as in the other modification; butin such cases said 1e- Ver should be located intermediately between thetwo axles instead of directly over either.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In acar-brake, the combination of brakebeams provided withbrake-shoes, a rockershaft provided with a pair of eccentrics whosecenters are arranged at opposite sides of said shaft, said eccentricsbeing connected to said brake-beams so as to move the latter relativelyin opposite directions, and mechanism whereby a rocking motion can beimparted to said shaft from opposite ends of a car, as and for thepurpose herein specified.

2. In a car-brake, the combination of brakebeams provided withbrake-shoes, a rockershaft provided with a pair of eccentrics whosecenters are arranged at opposite sides of said shaft, horizontal leversarranged adjacently to said brake-beams and connected to said eccentricsand brake-beams, so as to move the latter relatively in oppositedirections, and

mechanism whereby a rocking motion can be imparted to said shaft fromopposite ends of the car, as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN G. ZIMMERMANN, JR. JOHN J. ZIMMERMANN. RIVINGTON A. STILES.

lVitnesses:

WM. H. Low, S. B. BREWER.

